Historically, Gold provided a safe avenue during times when the world's economy was unstable. For major gold investors, gold can improve a portfolio and decrease the amount of risk. Gold has been used for purchasing, bartering and collecting throughout history. Gold has even been a hedge against inflation and helps to preserve and protect future earnings of Americans.

Today, we can purchase, trade or make a gold investment in a variety of ways. Gold comes generally in two forms, also called bullion, these forms are coins or bars made of gold.

The most popular avenue of gold investment is in coins and bars. There are different sizes and weights available to invest in. Some of the weights include 1 gram, 1 kilobar and the international bar. But that's not all.

Some of the most popular gold coins include:

The American eagle, Canadian Maple Leaf, South African Kruggerand, Austrian Philharmonic and English Britannia are all available in weights of 1/10, and 1 troy ounce

Australian KangarooAvailable in weights of 1/20, 1/10 and 1 troy ounce

Chinese PandaAvailable in weights of 1/20, 1/10 and 1 troy ounce

Mexican Centenario FamilyAvailable in 2, 2.5, 5, 10, 20 and 50 pesos.

Mexican OnzaAvailable in 1 troy ounce

As you see above, gold coins are a popular form of gold investing and good planning for the future. Gold will be a good investment through changing times because it will keep its value.